国际英语新闻：Turkey, Pakistan to step up cooperation

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey said Wednesday it would further improve cooperation with Pakistan in political and economic fields and the two countries' relations would set an example for other countries in the world, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

    The Turkish and Pakistani foreign ministries would soon establish a strategic mechanism that would set a framework for cooperation and coordination on issues related to Asia, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted as telling a press conference after meeting his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Ankara.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) meets with his visiting Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Ankara, capital of Turkey, August 26, 2009

Turkey and Pakistan shared a common destiny although they were not geographically neighbors, said Davutoglu.

    He noted economic ties between the two countries were not that satisfying despite good political rapport, saying Turkey and Pakistan would cooperate in transportation sector to improve economic relations.

    Meanwhile, Qureshi said he was pleased to visit Turkey and had quite fruitful talks during his trip, telling the press that Pakistan had always been and would continue to be a friend of Turkey.

    He said both countries had dynamic private sectors that could contribute to the improvement of economic ties, according to the agency.

    Qureshi arrived in Istanbul on Monday to attend a ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP). The Istanbul meeting aims to provide assistance to the Islamabad government in the field of education, health, energy, economy and local administration.